Flooding Potential

(AP) – A panel of experts says that despite a lack of snow cover in much of Maine, the spring flooding threat is normal. But it says heavy rainfall at any time can lead to river flooding. The Maine River Flow Advisory Commission issued a report following its annual meeting Thursday in Augusta. The commission’s members represent eight major river basin management operations, seven state and two federal agencies and the University of Maine. The panel’s co-chairman, Bob Lent, says snowpack in the headwaters of Maine’s major rivers is in the normal range for the time of year. But he says risk factors for spring flooding are still there. Besides rain, they include snowpack, frozen or saturated ground, and river ice.